Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and even England have all yielded evidence that local people called upon Huginn and Muninn for power and guidance. They grace the Oserberg Tapestry, which was found aboard a ninth-century Viking funeral ship, and they perch on Thorwald’s Cross, a rune stone from the eleventh century. The ravens appear in golden amulets, helmet plates, and shoulder brooches, dated back to the fifth, sixth, and seventh centuries. Across nine centuries and four countries, these birds have reigned supreme as Norse symbols, flying around Odin’s head or perched on his shoulders. Ravens litter the archaeological digs that have given us much of our knowledge about Norse culture. The hamingja is one of those parts, and because it is not one of the most essential parts of the spirit, it is often deployed on small missions. In Norse culture, the spirit is made up of many, separable parts that can be sent on different errands. The ravens warn him of the event and remain on his shoulders during the battle.įinally, some scholars believe that Huginn and Muninn are Odin’s hamingja, a physical embodiment of his luck. Huginn and Muninn frequently appear in depictions of Ragnarök, the great, apocalyptic battle where Odin is doomed to die. Ravens embody wisdom and guidance in Norse culture, so a god with two ravens as his flygjur would be a wise guide-just like Odin.įylgjur are often tied into a person’s fate as well they tend to show up just before a climactic moment in the person’s life, and they are often omens of death. Someone with a fox as a fylgja is sly and cunning, while someone with an ox as a flygja is strong but tame. These animals are manifestations of the person’s character. In Norse culture, spirit animals, called fylgjur, are commonly seen in the company of great men and women. Other scholars believe that Huginn and Muninn are Odin’s fylgjur. It’s no great stretch of the imagination to believe that Odin, the leader of the gods, could project his “thought” and his “mind” in the same way that a shaman could and that the ravens are simply symbols of his omnipotence. Odin’s ravens’ names (Huginn meaning “thought” and Muninn meaning “desire or mind”) support the idea that they are projections of his consciousness. In Norse culture, it was common for shamans to enter a trance-like state, during which they sent their consciousness to probe the world and bring back information. Some scholars interpret Huginn and Muninn as projections of Odin himself, rather than common ravens whom he has blessed with special powers. Huginn and Muninn can also accompany Odin into battle, where they inform him of his enemy’s movements and help him guide and heal his horse. The ravens are no mere spies for Odin they are important advisors and confidants too.
Third, they have extremely shrewd minds and wonderful powers of observation. Second, they have the ability to understand, and even speak in, the language of men. First, the birds are able to fly the entire world of Midgard in a single day. Special AbilitiesĪlthough Huginn and Muninn might look like common ravens, they have been endowed by Odin with wonderful powers. Their powerful wings can lift them high into the sky, while their beady eyes allow them to make out the landscape below in vivid detail. They are large, ominous looking birds with inky black feathers and big, sharp beaks. Physically speaking, Huginn and Muninn don’t have much to set them apart from your garden variety raven. At dinner, they return to their perches on Odin’s shoulders and tell him what they have seen. The birds depart every morning at dawn to fly around the Norse world, Midgard. Huginn and Muninn are a pair of ravens who, according to Norse mythology, are enlisted in Odin’s service.